Springbok captain Siya Kolisi keeps it real by avoiding the social media spotlight

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi says he avoids social media not because he doesn’t see value in it but because he is not wired to deal with some of the criticism inevitably fired by keyboard warriors.

Speaking on the eve of the Boks’ Rugby Championship clash with the Wallabies at Ellis Park, Kolisi said that he can’t afford to add another layer of pressure on himself.

“I try and stay away from social because sometimes I am not strong enough to take the criticism,” he said with honesty. “Sometimes it does affect me, so I try not to read it. It is either very good or very bad, with little in between. The most important voices I listen to are my coach, my coaching staff, and my teammates.

“You can be looking for something else (on social media) and you come across somebody saying you are not good enough, which has affected me a lot in the past. So I try to stay away from it and look at facts. I watch the game, I study my opposition — that works a whole lot better for me.

“People can say that a certain player is not up to scratch, and then on the day that player shows up. I look at what the opposition have done in the past. It helps me focus and get me ready for the game because I know what my opposite number is about to do. I watch clips over and over, so I pick up things during the game.

On Saturday, Kolisi earns his 94th cap for the Boks, and for the first time, he will be in the No 8 jersey and not his familiar No 6.

“My role has changed a little bit, technical stuff like lineouts and scrums, but other than that, I am doing my normal job. The breakdown is a focal point. (Wallaby flank) Fraser McReight and others are very good over the ball. So myself, Marco van Staden and Pieter-Steph du Toit have a job on our hands.

Kolisi thanks Sharks coach John Plumtree for moving him from flank to eighthman.

“It has helped me a lot to play No 8 at the Sharks. Coach Plum sees me as an 8. He told this in the first meeting we had. Here at the Boks, the roles are different. I am not a Jasper Wiese or a Duane Vermeulen — I have my way, my skills. I am not trying to be someone else. I am still going to play towards the ball, get carries when I can, and look after the breakdown.

“Rugby is rugby at the end of the day.”